Nursing Blankets

In the past, nursing mothers stayed behind closed doors until their infants were drinking from a bottle. When women finally realized that it was time to venture out, feeding an infant out of doors became a difficult proposition and many a woman found that she was relegated to the restroom to feed her hungry child – the restroom where nobody else was either her or his dinner, only the baby. Fortunately, women have become vociferous about not feeding infants in bathrooms anymore and thus the use of nursing blankets has increased.

A nursing blanket is little more than a thin covering that a woman may drape over her shoulder to cover up an exposed breast and a nursing infant. These wrappings may be seen in the back rows of churches, in restaurants, at the movie theatres, and anywhere that little ones may be found. Nursing blankets offer the convenience of being able to quickly be draped over a shoulder anywhere and everywhere, thus giving mom and baby the freedom to take care of the little one’s needs no matter when they occur.

Made from lightweight cotton, nursing blankets may even be used in summer when it is too hot for conventional blankets. In the recent past nursing blankets were usually of a light color and made to blend in rather than stand out. Yet modern moms are demanding more of their nursing privacy blanket. No longer having the feeling that this activity should be hidden from others, there no pattern nursing blanket designers are thinking up that will not find a buyer.

These days nursing blankets come in bold colors with stripes, blotches, and spots. Some carry cute sayings like “Shhh! I’m eating!” while others will have witty sayings or the child’s name embroidered on them. Nursing blankets are no longer the only game in town either; instead, there are now nursing wraps, shawls, and a host of other accessories that are taking the basic concept of the blanket and developing it further to meet a new mom’s other needs.

Etiquette, when it comes to nursing, is of course still the same; those around you should not be staring with their eyes wide open and mouth agog, while you should make sure that the actual latching on is done as discretely as possible. If you remember that breastfeeding is a completely natural activity, you will feel less self-conscious about it, and with the many different designs that are now available, a nursing blanket will make for a great fashion statement!